35| Brandi: twin boys: chronic genetic condition osteogenesis imperfecta, NICU: 103 days post 26wk c-section with 20% chance survival for the boys, IVF fertility journey, grieving pregnancy and a second one, boys 8 years old 30 fractures + 10 surgeries each, life impacts for her and her husband Tim, weekly hospital visits, 23 month drug trial, trauma and triggers for Brandi and the boys, mental health, and filling your cup

In this deeply moving episode, Brandi shares her extraordinary journey as a mother of twin boys Leo and Ash born at just 26 weeks, after a long and difficult IVF process with her supportive Husband Tim. With only a 20% chance of survival, her sons spent 103 agonizing days in the NICU and 28 more in a children’s hospital. Now eight years old, both Leo and Ash live with osteogenesis imperfecta — a rare genetic disorder also known as “brittle bone disease,” which causes extremely fragile bones. Both boys have endured over 30 fractures and 10 surgeries each to date. Their lives can often include weekly hospital visits and treatments, and they are currently 23 months into the Orbit Trial, a drug study using Setrusumab, which Brandi, Tim and their family hope will improve bone density and reduce future fractures. Despite all of these difficulties, her beautiful boys are thriving at school with close friendships, academic success and participate in many sports! Brandi’s story is about more than medical battles — it’s about trauma, identity, and the unspoken weight mothers like her carry. She opens up about the emotional landmines she still navigates daily. Seeing pregnant women used to trigger waves of pain. Hearing well-meaning but dismissive advice like “Just relax and you’ll get pregnant” was not only unhelpful, but deeply invalidating. Now, new triggers have surfaced — not being able to relate to conversations about the third trimester, or those early months of parenthood that she never got to experience. “It’s hard hearing what it could have been like,” Brandi says. “And then if I do share our journey, I feel like I shut the conversation down and everyone just feels sorry for me. It’s a fine balance all the time.” She also reflects on her complex feelings about a second pregnancy. After IVF, they had four embryos left, which they held onto for two years. “I felt so robbed of my pregnancy journey,” she shares. “I debated it for so long — not because I wanted another baby, but because I wanted to be pregnant and experience everything I missed.” Ultimately, Brandi and her husband Tim knew emotionally they couldn’t go through it again.This episode is an honest, heart-wrenching, and ultimately life-affirming look at how Brandi continues to show up with strength, determination, and vulnerability. It’s also a conversation about mental health, healing, and learning to fill your own cup, even when your hands are full.Brandi and her husband Tim are truly amazing! 

Content note: This episode contains discussions of medical trauma, IVF, NICU experiences, and mental health struggles. Listener discretion advised.

Love Patty xx

Instagram: @lovepattypodcast

Music: @lillifairfax